A while back I mentioned that our family will be leaving for vacation soon and that I would write about it another night. We have been preparing for the biggest road trip I have ever been on. We live in Massachusetts on the North Shore, about as far East in the US as you can go. I have never been more West than New York, but I will during this trip! We have a lot of adventure packed into this trip. The highlights include:
- Endless hours on the road seeing various parts of the country and watch my children seeing many things for the first time. (Matt and I will be seeing a ton of new stuff too)
- Niagara Falls (first time)
- Meeting my penpal Ashley and her family! (and apparently trying cheese curds)
- Wisconsin Dells
- Badlands National Park
-Yellowstone National Park
For about a month, my mind has been full of excitement, anxiety, curiosity and plans. I have some questions for you travelers. I would love some help. Please feel free to pass this link to your friends who travel or live in these areas:
1. For the road trip- What are things that you felt you must travel with? Anything you didn't bring, then wish you had? Anything you thought was essential and then realized you didn't need it at all?
2. Random- What are some regional foods that we should try? Any kids eat free deals out that way?
3. Yellowstone- What was your favorite spot you visited and why? All the warnings about the bears are kind of freaking me out, any incidences in the campgrounds when you were there?
I will share some of my trip when we get home. I'm sure I'll have plenty to talk about!
What fun! I hope you are able to blog during it. I took the three kids to Missouri two years ago over a two week period and we had a great time, but I was definitely ready for my bed when I got home. It's good to have two drivers! I can't wait to hear about Yellowstone and I've heard Wisconsin Dells is great! As far as what to bring, I always have the kids pack a bag of things they want in the car and I buy a few new surprises, like special coloring books, Bingo car games, etc. We also listened to books on cd. We visited a few places related to Samuel Clemens so we listened to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. It's great to make those connections if possible. We also rented a car with a dvd player and that saved me a few times. :)
ReplyDeleteI always bring audiobooks on my trip and stamps to mail postcards, which means I always bring my address book with me. I never leave home without my camera or tri-pod, and an ice chest full of bottled water. Always pack for both hot and cold weather. Other than that, I can't think of anything else.
ReplyDeleteI've been to yellowstone once and what I remember about that trip was seeing two buffalos mating. My dog went crazy. We were in the car and the buffalo were pretty much in the street causing a bit of a traffic jam. Literally, they were right next to our window.
Jackson Hole, WY is kind of a cute little town to go through if you are near it when on your way to Yellowstone.
Oh! I made it into the top 6! (Go me!) I feel like I travel with all the "normal" travel things, plus penpal supplies. It might be fun to get each of your kids a little digital camera so they can take photos along the way. (Ashton loved that. I think he took about 100 pictures of windmills) Also, it might be fun for each of them to have a travel journal. Maybe you could have one too? (I wrote about that in my letter) I wish I would have documented our last few trips. There is a website out there that has kids eat free places listed... I'll check for the link later. I used it when we went to SD, but the eat free days really didnt line up well with our vacation. We tried Godfather's Pizza while we were in SD... (I know they are fairly common but we dont have them around here) Anyway, we all enjoyed it! We also tried Popeyes (another restaurant we dont have around here) It was pretty good too- a different kind of fast food than what we are used to. We ate at Chick Fil A on our most recent trip and it was great- the workers were extremely nice. (Honestly, we've never ate at a fast food restaurant that was so kind!) Im pretty sure Pizza Hut lets kids eat the free buffet all summer. I went to Yellowstone when I was, like, 14 or 15, so I don't remember much... I think there are some painted rocks or painted mountains or something that are absolutely beautiful. There are also these pools of water with different colors and steam. (I'm sure there is a better scientific name for them...) They were cool too. All in all, it's a beautiful place to visit. :) There is an AMAZING taffy shop with great prices near Mt Rushmore. We recommend visiting. (And buying two bags, because you will miss it after the first bag is gone. Trust me. We regret not getting 2. Or 3. Or 10.) In Wisconsin Dells, there is a restaurant that delivers food to your table on a train. (The train also blows bubbles) Its a neat experience, and good food, although it's a more expensive restaurant. You guys are going to have an amazing time- I cant wait to hear about it :) See you SOON!!!!
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